OAKLAND, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Because of low water- runoff projections in the Sierra, East Bay Municipal Utility District directors voted today to continue the present 15 percent mandatory conservation plan throughout the 1992 summer season.
The April 1 snow survey conducted by the State of California projects runoff in EMBUD's Mokelumne River basin at 385,000 acre feet -- just 52.4 percent of the 735,000 acre feet that can be expected in an average year.
The District's reservoirs now are at 59 percent of capacity, slightly higher than a year ago, when they were 53 percent full, but far below the 81 percent level that would be reached at this time in a normal year.
Only October and February this season had precipitation above average. November, December and January -- usually three of the wettest months -- had less than a third of average rain and snow. The 29.55 inches of precipitation in the Sierra for the season from July 1991 to date is just 68 percent of average. Snow water content at Caples Lake, the District index weather station in Alpine County, was 15.3 inches on April 1 -- 49 percent of average. For a full rainfall year -- measured from July 1 through June 30 -- the Mokelumne Basin in the Sierra normally gets more than 48 inches of precipitation.
The Drought Management Plan that will continue allows 250 gallons a day for each single-family residence with four or fewer occupants. A four-step inclining block rate structure increases rates at 250, 750 and 1,200 gallons per day. There is a water cap of 80 percent of 1986 consumption for single-family customers using more than 1,200 gallons per day.
Water use prohibitions include:
-- No water for decorative ponds.
-- No water for washing sidewalks and parking lots except for
public health reasons.
-- No water for construction without a permit.
(New service connections are required to limit outside irrigation to drought-tolerant plantings with drip irrigation, and no more than 25 percent of the landscaped area can be lawn.)
Since the drought began, single-family residential customers have conserved (1987) 5 percent, (1988) 37 percent, (1989) 25 percent, (1990) 29 percent, and (1991) 38 percent.
Programs in effect were:
-- 1987, 12 percent, voluntary.
-- 1988, 25 percent, mandatory.
-- 1989, 15 percent, mandatory.
-- 1990, 15 percent, voluntary.
-- 1991, 15 percent, mandatory.
This is the sixth consecutive year that precipitation and runoff have been below normal in the Mokelumne Basin, which produces 95 percent of the District's water supply.
-0- 4/14/92
/CONTACT: Ida McClendon of EBMUD, 510-287-0140/ CO: East Bay Municipal Utilities District ST: California IN: UTI SU:

DG-MM -- SF015 -- 8433 04/14/92 19:40 EDT

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